May 2007 News Archive (Page 3)

We haven't forgotten about you, Sanjaya Malakar.

While Blake Lewis has stolen a lot of your buzz (he is still in the competition and everything), we'll give a shout out now to the man with the best hair on all of reality TV.

Here is Sanjaya as he takes on the UCLA cheerleading squad in Venice Beach on Friday:

You're in luck if you own Sirius Satellite Radio this week.

Taylor Hicks, Katharine McPhree and Elliott Yamin will all serve as guest DJs on Sirius Radio Tuesday and Wednesday - but not together. Each will play an hour of favorite songs on Sirius channel 12's Super Shuffle.

Taylor's on Tuesday at 7 a.m., repeating at 7 p.m. and Wednesday at midnight, 9 a.m. and 11 p.m. (all times ET). Katharine McPhee appears Tuesday at 1 p.m., repeating at 10 p.m. and Wednesday at 6 a.m., 3 p.m. and 9 p.m. Elliott is on Tuesday at 10 a.m., repeating at 4 p.m. and Wednesday at 3 a.m., noon and 6 p.m.

Enjoy!

How is former American Idol winner Fantasia Barrino doing on Broadway in The Color Purple? Just listen to the praise of veteran critic Clive Barnes of The New York Post:

"That she could sing, we knew," the 80-year-old wrote in Friday's edition. "But that she could act, and act so wonderfully, so tenderly, so touchingly, so effortlessly - that came as a surprise."

Barnes, who began his career as a critic in England in 1956, served as the New York Times' drama critic from 1967-77 and the New York Post's since 1978, confesses in his review:

"I feel a lot in the theater - I wouldn't stick in this business if I didn't - but usually I don't cry. With this performance, I found tears running down my cheeks... If you haven't seen The Color Purple, see it now; if you have seen it, see it again. Something extraordinary is happening at the Broadway Theatre that is not to be missed."

It doesn't get much better than that. Jennifer Hudson might have a new person to be jealous of.

Let's get right down to it: Who does Simon Cowell think will be named American Idol this week?

The answer? Well, he just doesn't know.

"I can't call it at this stage," Cowell told reporters on a conference call. "For Blake Lewis, he's a brilliant entertainer, but the negative is he's not a fantastic singer. The advantage for Jordin is she is a great singer and the negative is she hasn't done one performance yet which I can remember as a 'wow.'"

Cowell also said he was amused by the long run of Sanjaya Malakar, a contestant known for extreme hairstyles and mediocre singing.

"The whole Sanjaya thing was hysterical," said Cowell, who once threatened to quit if Malakar won. "I don't think I'd be happy if he was in the final, but looking back I think it was quite amusing."

Cowell added it was "unfair" that contestant Melinda Doolittle was eliminated from the show this week.

"When you allow the public to choose, you've got to live and die by the vote," he said.

Following the results show Wednesday night., USA Today got a brief interview in with a pair of singers hoping to be named your next American Idol.

Here's what Blake Lewis had to say first:

As a musician who puts a lot of effort into arranging his songs, will it be easy or difficult to work with record producers?
“I work really well with other people. I’ve already started writing many songs and started recording demos the whole time I was here. Before American Idol, I was already working on an album. I’ve got at least six or seven tracks right now that could be on an album."

How important is it for you to win the competition and be the American Idol?
“I just view it day by day. I’ve never thought of it as a competition. I just want to go out and do my best each time I’m out there. If I win, that’s great. Jordin was my pick since the beginning to be the American Idol.”

Were you surprised by the elimination of Melinda Doolittle, considered by many to be the favorite?
“I think everyone was surprised each week so, I mean, yeah, I was surprised.”

Did you say anything to Melinda on stage after the elimination?
“I just told her I loved her and to knock it out.”

How’s your energy level?
"Well, from going home and staying up so late and the schedule’s grueling, I’m definitely tired this week. This was the first time I’ve ever fallen asleep, like I’d fall asleep in the Ford shoot or in rehearsals. I’ve never done that in my life.”

And now, let's hear from Jordin Sparks:

Is there a previous Idol you’d like to model your career after?
“I love Kelly Clarkson. I love her attitude and that she just stays the same no matter what. She’s amazing, a Grammy winner, beautiful. I want a career like that. Hello? Give me some tips … There are a ton of other Idols I look up to. I love all of them. I can’t name any more because I don’t want to leave anyone out.”

Simon Cowell has said some of your songs seem too old for you. What do you think?
“Half of me agrees and half of me is like, what am I going to do? I can’t help it if the songs I love are older or newer. I agree with him that it is more modern-day, so I understand that he wants me to sing stuff more people known. At the same time, if a song speaks to me, I’m going to want to sing it.”

Were you surprised by tonight’s results?
“It was one of those nights where anything could have happened, so I don’t know. I was very sad to see Melinda go, but she is going to be so fine. She is amazing and she is going to reach so many people and the world is going to be such a better place with her in it and singing her songs and what she wants to sing about.”

As American Idol’s top ten gear up to hit the road for the summer concert tour, Phil Stacey waited to find out if his commanding Naval officers would give him the OK to pack his bags.

Now, a few short weeks after his elimination, Us Magazine has learned that the U.S. Navy has cleared the 29-year-old father of two to sing this summer.

Stacey’s approval comes on the heels of his May 2 elimination, after which the sixth place finisher remained steadfast in his dedication and obligation to serve.

“My primary responsibility is to the United States Navy,” he explained the day after his ouster. “The possibility exists that they’ll need me for a mission. If that’s the case, I’m committed to following through with my commitment to the Navy.”

Reached for comment last week, Bob Anderson, the Director of the Navy Office of Information, told Us that “[the Navy] can sometimes make exceptions for it and find somebody else to do those jobs.” However, he reasons, “You sign a contract to do a job for a certain amount of time and you’re expected to do that job.”

Today’s announcement is no doubt a relief for the Florida performer, who, while remaining dedicated to his duty, said it would “break [his] heart” if he could not tour.

“[The Navy] has been 100% flexible with me with American Idol, and they’ve been gems – a huge support base for me,” Stacey says.

The American Idols Live! nationwide concert tour kicks off July 6 in Sunrise, Fla.

Melinda Doolittle probably wishes she had a chance to be named American Idol. But she's also breathing a sigh of relief at being eliminated last night.

"Knowing that I had made it this far and knowing that I was going to be able to sing from here on out without being judged and voted? �it was just like this sigh of relief," she told Ryan Seacrest on his morning radio show. "Now I'm getting ready to sing just because I love it."

The former backup singer called Seacrest's 102.7 KIIS FM show and told the host that she didn't feel any resentment after being voted off – despite receiving immense and consistent praise from all three Idol judges.

"Two amazing people are in the finale right now and I couldn't be more proud of them," Doolittle, 29, said, referring to finalists Jordin Sparks, 17, and Blake Lewis, 25, who will compete in the finale next week. "Those are still my babies. I'm still their mama. I'm so proud about it and don't feel cheated at all. There are always opportunities out there to grab onto and to take a hold of so I'm just ready for that."

And, according to Doolittle, Simon Cowell may be prepared to help her find the right opportunity. "Simon was especially supportive and said, 'I want to see you succeed,' " she told Seacrest. "That means the world to me so it was great to hear last night."

The ousted Idol also admitted that the rigorous process of rehearsals, performances and getting judged on live television week after week was difficult. "I felt like I was working so hard and when [the judges] would say good things I was so excited to hear it, it would just put this look of shock on my face."

That isn't the only thing that shocked Doolittle, who said that the level of fame and recognition she has achieved so far also surprised her. "Nothing could have prepared me for this. I knew that the show was huge. I did not know that it was this huge," she said. "The fact that it has awarded such a big opportunity to me is just the most amazing thing ever."

Unfortunately, Doolittle doesn't have much time to relax. She and the other finalists start rehearsals Thursday for next week's two-hour finale.

Some believed she was the best singer in the history of American Idol.

But even that wasn't enough to save Melinda Doolittle last night. The humble, amazing vocalist received the least number of votes and was surprisingly sent home by Ryan Seacrest at the end of the hour.

But was it really so surprising? The core audience of the FOX show is more likely to vote for a cute, fun-loving male such as Blake Lewis; or a younger, more charismatic singer such as Jordin Sparks (who deserves to win it all next week).

In the end, it wasn't Melinda's fault. This show has always been about more than mere vocal range and talent.

People magazine was backstage at American Idol last night. Here's what too place:

She Works Hard
Jordin Sparks sang Donna Summer's "She Works Hard For the Money," but what she really did was work hard for the judges' attention. Throughout most of her performance Simon Cowell, Paula Abdul and Randy Jackson talked amongst themselves.

She's Back
British invasion week took place early on in the competition, but singer Lulu made her return to the studio on Tuesday night – this time, as a fan and not a mentor. "I was in town on business and Nigel Lythgoe told me to stop by for the show if I wanted," she said. "And of course, I wanted to. I'm a fan." Who does she think will make it through to the finals?

"Well, I predicted early on that it would be Blake and Jordin in the finals."

Party of Two
Actor Scott Wolf and his wife, Kelley Limp attended the show for the first time ever. The former Party of Five star, who's in Los Angeles starring in the Neil LaBute play Fat Pig, says he and Kelley watch Idol every night. "Melinda Dolittle is by far the best vocalist," he said. "She could be one of the great ones of our time."

Pucker Up
LaKisha Jones has praised Simon for being a good kisser with soft lips. So it's no wonder a grandmother from Grand Rapids, Mich., asked during a commercial break if she could see for herself. Simon enthusiastically obliged with not one, but two smooches (sorry LaKisha)!

Name Dropping
Randy is a well-established music producer and he never misses a opportunity to remind you of it. Last night was no exception. He chose the Whitney Houston song "I Believe in You and Me" for Melinda. When she was informed of Randy's choice via a faxed letter that read "I've worked with her before" (meaning Houston), Simon and Paula cracked up and playfully whacked Randy on the back, as if to say, "We know you're big in the industry, Dawg!"

Sign Me Up
Outstanding signage for the night? "Simon, Can I Be Your Puppet?" and "I Love My Agent For Getting Me These Tickets."

Band of Brothers
It's not often that the Idol contestants remain on the stage during a commercial break. But after Blake Lewis performed an impressive version of Robin Thicke's "When I Get You Alone," the Seattle native took his time as he shook hands and hugged bandleader Ricky Minor. He then walked through the band section to shake hands and hug the musicians and the backup singers, thanking them for making his final performance at the CBS studio a memorable one.

Next week the finalists will perform at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood.

Carrie Underwood added to her awards collection last night.

The 2005 American Idol winner, won album of the year for her debut CD, Some Hearts, and was honored as top female vocalist.

"I would not be here if it were not for American Idol," she said as she collected her vocal award. "Thank you, fans. God bless you."

See, Jennifer Hudson? Is it really that hard to thank the show that enabled you to get your foot in the Hollywood door?